Information To Help With Internet Safety

The Internet, for all intents and purposes, is ultimately a good thing, and it allows access to an unlimited amount of knowledge. The vast resources of information, however, are its strength and weakness at the same time. On one hand, the Internet gives your children every chance to learn about what he wishes to know, but it also gives them the chance to gain access to the wrong type of information at the same time.
Kid-Friendly Resources for Your Kids
Use of Kid-Friendly Search Engines Sometimes, kids end up accidentally gaining access to websites that display information they shouldn't be exposed to. Unfortunately, although the intention wasn't there initially, exposure to such websites may be more than enough to catch their interest.
You can, however, reduce or prevent accidental exposure to such sites from happening by teaching your kids to use only kid-friendly search engines. With such search engines, they can type whatever they want and they'll still end up at a website that's designed for their age. An example of such search engines is as follows:
Yahooligans (http://kids.yahoo.com) - created by Internet giant Yahoo for kid users, Yahooligans does not only offer a search engine database for them to use but access to games, music, movies, sports, jokes, and other educational and recreational activities as well.
KidsClick! (www kidsclick org) - This search engine is managed by the University of California and is based in Berkeley. It is also described as a web search created by librarians for kids.
Kids Net (http://kids.net.au) - This search engine is based in Australia.
AOL NetFind - A search engine by American Online for kid users.
Searchopolis - Another kid-friendly search engine.
You can also learn about more kid-friendly search engines in websites like Kids' Search Tools, Safe Kids, and Searching with Kids.
Filtering Search Options Another way for you to reduce or prevent accidental exposure to adult content for your children is by monitoring each and every Internet session they have and making sure that you filter the search engine options before allowing them to use it. You can do these with search engines by Lycos, Ask Jeeves, and Go Network.
Other Educational Online Resources for Kids Homework Central - This website provides categorized information regarding a broad number of topics. It's divided into three sub-categories: Homework Central Junior - which is meant for kids in primary school, Homework Central - which is designed for people in middle and high school, and lastly Encyclopedia Central, which is dedicated for college and adult users. Cybersmart - This is an US based online portal that teaches kids, teachers, and other school officials various ways for children to properly explore the Internet. Free tools and resources are provided to aid teachers in teaching Internet surfing safety.
Lycos - Another well-rounded website created for parents, teachers, and kids, The Kid Zone of Lycos can be divided into four zones: the Fun and Game Zones which provides recreational outlets, the New and Cool Zone (which is self-explanatory for kids), the Homework Zone - which provides "safe" websites containing information about a wide array of topics, and lastly is a zone that provides pertinent information for teachers, parents, and guardians alike.
Purple Moon - This is a website that's primarily designed for young girls; it has a search engine and provides links to games, online discussions and projects, and informative resources.
Families Connect - If you wish to explore the Internet together with your children, you'll achieve your goal more easily and in a more fun-filled way through this website. The activities and options offered here are designed to allow families to become closer and learn about the Internet together at the same time.
Black Hole Gang - This place provides people an exciting, fun, and safe way for kids to learn about science. Among others, it gives kids the opportunity to play detective and uncover the mysteries of science.
Other Surfing Safety Tips for Kids As much as possible, don't allow your child to surf the Internet alone. Kids are still kids, after all, and accidents do happen. You can't blame them entirely if they do end up gaining access to a website that contains adult content.
Make the filtered options for search engine results permanent.
And lastly, clearly explain to your kids the dangers of breaking "surfing rules" you've put down and its possible consequences.

See Also : Tools & Home Improvement Interior Best & Cheapest Acer Netbook Best Buy HDTV Black Friday Civil Engineer Work